Pull Me Close
by snifflyfists314
Summary: Sequel to Keep In Touch! A bunch of chapters/one-shots based on the events of the previous story, do check it out! [Updated every Sunday]
1. secrets

**_A/N: Thank you so much for all the positive feedback y'all gave to Keep In Touch! Quite a few of you asked for a sequel, so here it is! More A/N at the bottom! But for now, enjoy!_**

* * *

 **secrets**

"Wh.. what… Lucas, what are you saying?" And that was all Maya could muster. Lucas took the hands of a still very shocked Maya and led her over to his bed. They sat down and Maya could have sworn this was the happiest she had ever seen Lucas, at least in her time and her world.

"Look, Maya, yes, I like Riley, but I've come to realise that... I love you. And I would be lying if I said it hadn't been so since that first day I saw you on the subway. You walked over and I was just… blown away. Then, you were cute, now you're more than that, you're gorgeous, a true blonde beauty. I mean, that's why I told Zay so much about you. And that day, when we all got detention, and you pulled me close to you... That's when I broke and I never wanted you to let go of me, Maya, I…"

"Stop. Lucas, just stop. All that about you and me, that was just a dream. Some weird screwed up shit that my head came up with. I never meant to…," the words 'fall for you' were on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn't bear to say them. The way he was looking at her, was exactly the way the dream Lucas would. Yes, she had fallen for him in that short time, but she never meant to. And this real Lucas, he had. She knew, this one had fallen for her exactly how she has… or had? She had no idea what to think or do anymore, it was all too much. It was what she had wanted to go back to, but a part of her was, in a way, afraid. Afraid of what a change that huge would cause in terms of her friendships and relationships.

"No, no, you need to know. Ever since then, you probably never noticed but I could never stop staring at you. Knowing that sitting in front of me, attached to the blonde hair, was you, I was just dying inside thinking that you didn't like me back. When we danced at the semi-formal, when I saw you in that beautiful dress… And then you told us we were together in your dream thing, then you came to my house, I mean, that may have been just a dream for you Maya, but I'm leaving in a dream of my own, so please say yes, please be my…" Lucas would have continued, except that Maya had stood up, pulling herself away from him. He looked up into her eyes, searching for a sign that he had done something wrong, even though he had no clue what it was. She backed away towards his window and muttered a 'sorry' before running down the fire escape.

She didn't even know it, but as she ran home, tears were streaming down her face. And she didn't stop running until she launched herself onto her bed, the sheets slowly soaking up and absorbing the tears. Ranger Rick, Huckleberry, Bucky McBoingBoing, her hurrhurr, had just confessed to her. That he had been in love with her for what had to have been almost a year? That he had only pretended to like Riley, and she had no idea why. That her dream wasn't a dream, but some kind of twisted look into the future. How was she supposed to feel? She was overjoyed that her dream was real life, but the tears of happiness couldn't help but be tainted by those of sadness. That her best friend's love life had been a facade, a complete lie. She hated Lucas for doing that to Riley, but she loved him for what they had. How she could have so many feelings at once without exploding, she would never know. All she knew was that she was going to have to face Lucas the next day, and even a hurrhurr would be hard to muster.

* * *

Maya timed her arrival to school such that she wouldn't bump into Riley or Lucas. She had the burning desire to tell Riley everything, but she knew that it would break her. Her little ball of sunshine would take that step into the shadows, and Maya didn't want that for Riley. So she would keep it a secret for as long as she could. It was nothing to her anyway. Keeping secrets. Pluto, the brotherly love Riley had for Lucas, all secrets that Maya was burying, but ones that would continuously plague her. But as long as Riley was kept happy and innocent, Maya didn't care what happened to her own mind.

"Maya, what happened to you this morning? We made extra pancakes just for you," Cory commented as Maya strolled into class, keeping her eyes down and away from Lucas. Maya managed to smile at both Mr Matthews and Riley before muttering a 'overslept'. Cory glanced over to Riley, who merely shrugged her shoulders. Riley knew she should not pry, but she also know curiosity would get the best of her and she would end up bugging Maya. As Cory began teaching the class, Lucas tore off a piece of scrap paper and Maya heard the scribbles before the 'psst' that he shot her. Swinging her arm behind her, she took the piece of paper and opened it up onto her desk, attempting to blend it in with the notes scattered on her desk.

 _ **I'm sorry for yesterday. I shouldn't have blurted out everything, and I'm sure you're really confused right now. You don't have to answer, but just know that I'll be waiting. I have been, after all.**_

Maya's heart told her to write a 'yes' across the page, but her rational thinking told her to take a step back. To take a look at the bigger picture. If she said 'yes', all the faith that Riley had placed on her and Lucas getting together would be destroyed. To find out that her best friend was with her first crush, Maya definitely would have a hard time getting over it, and Riley's childlike innocence would take it even harder. But she was sick of this. Sick of being torn between mind and body, heart and soul. She was Maya Hart, and her name would be what she would follow.

 _Yes. I will be your gi-_

"Ms Hart, do tell the class what notes you are, praytell, so engrossed in writing, seeing as I am telling the class a story about my very engaging weekend with Shawn?"

Shit.

She knew she was going to have to tell Riley, but not like this. Not humiliate her in front of the entire class by revealing that Lucas and her were together. Especially not in front of her own father. She bit her lip and squeezed her eyes shut as Cory said, "Please stand up, and read out what it is. I may be your teacher, but I was a student, and someone like me never misses you and Mr Friar passing papers. Go on."

Reluctantly, Maya stood up and turned around to face the class, all eyes solely on her and that piece of paper. She took a deep breath and was about to begin reading when Lucas jumped to his feet and snatched it out of her trembling hands.

"I'll read it, Sir. I started it, so I'll finish it," Lucas said.

"Lucas, what are you doing? Ril-" Maya said. She had to stop him from doing this, it was her fault for wishing on the stupid yearbook, her fault for telling the group about her dream, if something happened between the four of them, that was going to be her fault too.

"It'll be fine. Let me," he continued. Maya sat down slowly and watched as Riley looked up at Lucas with confusion. _Oh, honey, it's only going to get worse from here._ Lucas read, "First, I said that I was sorry for yesterday and that I shouldn't have blurted out everything. I said I was sure Maya would be confused and that she didn't have to answer, but I just wanted her to know that I would be waiting and I have been. Then," Lucas paused, just to get a read on Riley's facial expressions. He too, knew that this could either end well, or very very badly. "Then she said 'Yes, I will be your gi-' and that's where it ends. Nothing more, sorry to disappoint." Lucas walked over to throw the piece of paper away and then sat down. Riley was now looking at the ground, not looking at anyone.

Maya turned towards Riley and said, "Look, there's something we have to tell you, Riles."

"Girlfriend. That's the unfinished word, isn't it? You said you were going to be Lucas'... girlfriend. And that means, he confessed yesterday and you never told me," Riley said, pointing towards Lucas and then Maya. Her look of confusion had now turned into dagger-like glares. This was worse than Maya had imagined. Riley wasn't just hurt and betrayed, she was furious with them. She could tell.

"Maya, how could you do this to me? Lucas, you were the first person I ever liked, the first person I ever kissed!" Riley shouted. Maya stuttered and said, "L… look, this is a shock to me too. I thought it was just a dream but then… Riles, we didn't know if it was gonna be right so we didn't wanna tell you, we didn't wanna hurt you, we never did… Honey?" However, it was as if none of that had gotten to Riley, and she continued, "You're supposed to tell me everything. You're supposed to be my friend, my best friend. Who cares if it's right? You, of all people, should know that. When being right is more important than being friends, then that's the end of being friends." And that stung. But with that, Riley walked out of class, and Maya had no idea, again, what was going to happen to them.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Hey guys! So although I've started writing a sequel, I'm also in a lucaya writing squad based at lucaya-fanfiction (tumblr), do check them out! So, updates here will not be as regular as they were for KIT (Keep In Touch) :( However, I will try my best to write for this story as well. However, a lot of this story may change based on October's episodes (*coughs*Texas*coughs*). So after those supposedly very eventful episodes, I will definitely be writing more here! But do stick around, cos I have some rather interesting one-shot-ish chapters coming your way! Anyway, what do you think? Fave, follow, and/or review, thanks! :)**_


	2. life changes

**life changes**

Maya shot up from her seat and was about to chase Riley, but familiar hands pulled her back.

"Maya, stop. I know you want to run after her, but this is bigger than us. Bigger than you, or me, or Farkle," Lucas said. He glanced over to Farkle who nodded back silently. The rest of the class passed by quickly, and all of them knew Mr Matthews couldn't possibly continue teaching in the state of mind he was in. His own daughter was heartbroken and had run out of class. But there was not much any of them could do. Maya hoped that if any wish after the yearbook could come true, it would be that she could rewind time. For all she knew, Riley had run away and never want to associate herself with them ever again. For the second time that week, she ran home in tears.

* * *

"Some kind of friends they are, to keep a secret from me. I knew something was up with them but did I do something? No. Did I want something to be up? Of course not. Should I have done something? Hell yeah," Riley muttered to herself. She was sitting on her bed and angrily tearing through scraps of paper that were lying around. Just as she was about to walk towards her desk to get more, she heard a knock at the window. Glancing over, she noticed that it was Farkle. She stomped over to the window and let him in. He gave her a nod and was about to sit down by the window when she shouted, "No! Stop! Not there. Too many memories, of Maya." She spat out Maya's name and Farkle was suddenly filled with the fear that Riley was too far gone to bring back. However, he had to try, or his name wasn't Farkle Minkus.

He sat down on her bed next to her and took the paper away from her, asking, "Hey, what's up with you? You've never been this angry with Maya before."

"But I have all the reason to now! She's supposed to be my best friend and tell my everything. She just _expects_ me to defend her for everything, so all I _expect_ is for her to tell my everything. Isn't it as simple as that? But no, she can't even do that. She goes behind my back and overnight, is suddenly my crush's girlfriend? And Lucas! He said he liked me, he rode on a white horse, he asked my dad for permission to take me on a date. He's supposed to be my boyfriend, not Maya's. I thought they would be more considerate, especially Maya! I thought Lucas loved me as a girlfriend, I thought Maya was my peaches, looks like I'm wrong, and hah, plot twist, nobody actually loves me. My life is a lie, whoopdedoo!" Riley blurted out, and tears had started to flow down her cheek, her desperate attempts to wipe them away to no avail.

Farkle gently lifted her hands, and placed them into his left hand, his right hand lightly placed on her cheekbone, wiping the tears away. He smiled and said, "Come on, Riley. Smile a little for me, you look really beautiful when you smile." Riley blushed and choked on her tears, before forcing a smile on her face. Farkle placed his hand on her chin and looked into her eyes, making sure that every word he was going to say would get to her.

"Riley, we're all still friends, alright? Nothing has changed between all of us. We're still gonna get lunch together, go home together, hang out at Topanga's together. We are still us. Riley, we all still love you," Farkle said. Riley glanced down before looking back to Farkle and asked, "You… you love me?" This time, the smile on her face was a genuine one, and Farkle replied, "Have been since the 1st grade."

Farkle smirked and leaned closer to Riley. She did the same and at first, their lips merely brushed, but then Farkle leaned in more. Riley was taken aback at how different this felt. Yes, Farkle had kissed her, but that was awkward and more… chinny. Yes, she had kissed Lucas, but that almost felt cold compared to this. This was Farkle. Her friend since the 1st grade, and she was kissing him. She realised, Farkle had always been good to her, standing by her side through whatever she and Maya had gone through, he had always thought about her, put her first, never left her behind. And as these thoughts flooded her mind, Farkle pulled away and said, "I better go. I'll see you tomorrow, Riley. Remember what I said yeah?" Riley blushed and nodded, bidding farewell to Farkle.

* * *

The next day, Maya walked to school hesitantly. She wondered if she should take the day off, in the fear that things between her and Riley got worse. However, an unknown force was pushing her towards the towering building, and she sat down in her usual seat, anticipating Riley to come in, give her a glare and the cold shoulder. As she bit her lip and her mind created a thousand and one possible situations, Lucas walked in and waved his hand in front of her face.

"Hello? Earth to Maya?" Lucas said. Maya snapped out of her thoughts and looked up at him. And the only thing she felt was guilt. She felt as if she had stolen Lucas from her best friend, and if Riley walked in at that moment, never wanting to talk to Maya ever again, Maya would never forgive herself. However, as Maya was about to let the thoughts fill her, she felt as if the room had gotten a little brighter. She looked up to find Riley skipping in and confused, Maya asked, "Hey, I'm really sorry about everything. I should've told you about Lucas and I and you know if this ever stops us from being best fri-"

"Maya. It's alright. Look, I may have over reacted a little yesterday. I went home and did some thinking, and I just want you to be happy. So if you're happy with Lucas, then I'm happy for you too," Riley said, giving Maya a smile that she knew was the real smiley Riley. Maya smiled back, hoping that the entire thing would just blow over, like it was some trivial banter. Another part of her, however, reminded her that hope was for suckers, and life was never that simple.

As the bell rang, signalling the end of the day, the five of them congregated outside the classroom. As Maya walked towards the rest of them, her hand happened to brush past Lucas, and she flinched, looking down at his hand and then up at him. He looked back at her and grinned, unknowingly like a fool, causing Zay to giggle.

"Alright, I know y'all are together and stuff, but uhh how? One moment you're just looking at each other not saying nothing, the next you're blushing and ogling like nobody's business. Come on Lucas, spill the beans," Zay said, gesturing towards Maya and Lucas who were now blushing and looking elsewhere. Zay thought, _this is definitely not the same Lucas Friar I knew._ And even though he had barely known Maya for long, he knew that she was not the type to blush.

Lucas laughed and explained, "Uhh, how do I put this. After that day when Maya told us her story… dream… thing, she came over to my place. She asked if we could try a kiss. I said okay, and everything was clear. That's about it." Riley, resisting the urge to be absolutely bitter to Lucas, said, "I'm really happy for you guys. I mean, sure I'm a little upset that you guys kissed and all but, I have my own reasons to be happy." She thought back to the previous day's revelation and almost on cue, both she and Farkle blushed. Needless to say, Zay, Maya, and Lucas all knew what was going on.

"Maya, I'll walk you home," Lucas said, as the five of them finished studying. After meeting in the hallway, they had gone over to Topanga's to finish up some homework, and by then, the sky was being painted golden orange, the last rays of sunlight touching the end of the sky. She smiled and as they walked out, slid her hand into Lucas', feeling the warmth that he gave and the comfort she felt, just by his sheer presence.

* * *

Meanwhile, Farkle had walked Riley home, just out of gentlemanliness. As Farkle was about to walk out of her room, he stopped himself and turned around, asking, "Riley, do you mind if we… kiss again?" He walked back to her, closing the door behind him and Riley opened her arms, saying, "I thought you'd never ask," before embracing both him and his lips. There they were. Those sweet lips that were undeniably Farkle but also undeniably hers, and that night, Riley slept with a wide smile on her face.

* * *

 _Earlier that day…_

"Hey, thanks for walking me home Ranger Rick," Maya said, throwing her jacket onto her bed. As she turned around, all she say was Lucas coming towards her, and before she knew it, she was cornered against the wall. Lucas' arms were on other side, and his eyes were staring right into hers before his lips pressed her further against the wall. She felt as if he was sucking out her very innocence, feeling every millimeter of her lips. But to her, something felt off. This was too… forceful, and if she wanted to still be doing exactly in 2 years, she knew she had to take it slow, or she would find herself crying by the sidewalk over the guy who had dumped her because he wasn't satisfied.

"Lucas… Lucas… Stop," Maya tried to sneak out words, inbetween the kisses and the soft moans. However, he just kept tasting her, and she could have sworn she heard him breathe, "Yeah… just keep saying it." Now, she was almost clueless as to what to do. Finally, she summoned all of her remaining willpower and pushed him off. He stepped back, almost tripping onto her bed, eyes widened as he realised what he had just done to Maya. He said, "Oh my… I'm so sorry, I… I couldn't stop myself, Maya, I just… I promise it'll never happen again." Maya pushed herself off the wall and walked halfway across the room before turning back to him.

"Lucas, we just got together, this isn't supposed to happen. We need to show everyone that we aren't just a hookup, we aren't just a fling. Do you want that Lucas? Do you want to just take everything I have and throw me away? First, it's a simple kiss, then I'm against a wall, next thing you know, I'm a star on MTV! This isn't supposed to happen," Maya said. She never meant to say all that, but it was what she had been thinking, and it had slipped out. Now, she was facing a very disappointed and sad Lucas, who said, "I thought this is what you wanted Maya. That day, you seemed so so desperate to go back to a world where we were together, and I was ready to give you that. I thought this would make you happy, I mean, I just want you to be happy."

 _What am I doing? I just got back to him and I'm pushing him away._ Maya stepped back towards him and said, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say all that, I just… Let's take it slow, don't rush into it. I'm excited for us too but, control yourself boy." And she gave a wink that made Lucas want to push her against a wall again, or maybe something softer, but he forced a smile and bid goodbye to her.

* * *

"What."

"The."

"Huckleberry, what's going on?"

"I am also very confused, Shortstack."

No sooner had Maya and Lucas walked into school - Lucas having gone to her house first to walk her to school - had they seen the most unlikely sight ever to lay eyes on. Riley was leaning against the lockers, nothing unusual about that. Except the force keeping her there wasn't her own body, but Farkle's. He had her chin in his hands and was kissing her, over and over again. In school. In public. Maya stifled a laugh and she thought _and I told Lucas to take it slow._ She held Lucas' hand, and she knew, all their lives were certainly taking a turn for the interesting.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Hey guys! So sorry for the long wait between chapters, my final year exams are starting this week so I've been studying and didn't want to post too fast, but after next weekend, I /might/ start posting twice a week, depending on how inspired I am ahahha. Anyway, what do you think? Would appreciate it if you fave, follow and/or review, thanks! :)**_


	3. tainted sunshine

_**A/N: omg i am so so sorry that i forgot to upload on Sunday! I had a lot of stuff to take care of and it slipped my mind. I'll think of some way to make it back to you guys!**_

* * *

 **tainted sunshine**

"What! You- He- They- Riley!" Cory shouted. Like Maya and Lucas, Cory had walked into school to find Riley and Farkle displaying a lot of affection publicly. He walked over to them, who were still very focused, and pushed Farkle away from Riley. Stepping between them, he faced Riley and said, "Explanation. Now."

"I'm sorry I didn't explain myself, sir," Farkle began.

"Zip it robot!" Cory interrupted before Farkle could continue, "I want an explanation from my daughter, and mine alone. Don't you all have classes to go to?" Maya stepped forward and said, "Well, yeah, it's your class Mr Matthews." Cory told them to tell the others he was going to be late and looked back at Riley.

"Riley, I never expected you to get together with Farkle. I mean, at least he's better than Lucas, he's 36. But kissing? On the lips? In school? When I'm here? Especially when I'm here? Riley, why didn't you tell me?" Cory asked, concerned. Riley bit her lip, embarrassed that she had been caught kissing Farkle, and replied, "I was gonna tell you, we just kinda sorta officially not really got together yesterday kinda. I'm sorry, daddy. But are you gonna break us up?" Riley asked, tears beginning to well up in her eyes. Farkle, of all people, was her first actual official more-than-a-subway-date guy that she really liked and if she let herself, loved. If her dad took Farkle away from her, she wouldn't know what she would do. As she looked up at her father, giving the biggest pout she had ever done, he sighed and relented, saying, "Fine. But.. no more of this in school. Or at home. Just don't do it in front of me, kay Bubba? And I expect you to be responsible about this, no hanky panky." Riley grinned and bounced on her toes, before skipping into the classroom, followed by Maya, Lucas, and Farkle, who were giggling at Cory's use of 'hanky panky'.

* * *

Finally, Maya's favourite class of the day had come. Sure, the other lessons were alright, but who needed history, english, math, when she had art? The four of them walked into the room, and sat down, Maya between Lucas and Riley, with Farkle next to Riley.

"Alright class," Ms Kossal began, "Today, we'll be drawing our muses. Everyone has a muse, their inspiration, the person, thing or concept that gives you the idea of what to draw. For some, it's a random object they spot in class. For others, it's a person who means a lot to them. Who, or what, is your muse? Let's get that creativity flowing!" Riley tapped Maya's arm incessantly and chirped, "Maya, draw me like this, mouth open. So it looks like your muse is singing muse-ic!" Maya laughed at Riley's attempt at a pun and shook her head, she replied, "Nah, I've got a different muse in mind for today." As she turned over to her other side to see Lucas drawing the outline of a baseball, she didn't notice as Riley's excitement had turned into disappointment. Riley thought, _what's wrong with Maya? I'm always her inspiration for art._

"Oh my goodness! Maya! That's beautiful!" Ms Kossal exclaimed. Maya laughed as Ms Kossal picked up her painting and tears began to stream down her face. On the easel, was a white horse, with a golden mane. Sitting on it, was a person wearing a cowboy hat, face away from the audience, looking into the sunset. Maya had captured every detail, every gradient of colour perfectly. The way the horizon was a blend of purple and orange, the way the horse and the man's shadow was laid out on the ground. As Ms Kossal showed the entire class Maya's painting, she knew that this had to have been her best work yet. Lucas took one look at it and smirked, before saying, "Maya, I think you missed out an important detail."

"And what would that be, Ranger Rick?" Maya asked. He had probably figured out that the mysterious cowboy was in fact, her cowboy, but she had looked over the painting too many times to count, and nothing was amiss.

"A blonde beauty, to ride with the cowboy, into the sunset," Lucas said. Maya smiled and began to blush, before getting up to kiss Lucas on his cheek. She sat back down and looked at the painting, then back at Lucas before she said, "Yeah, I think this cowboy does need a girl."

However, this was all too much for Riley. Yes, she had said she was alright with Lucas being with Maya, but that didn't mean she actually was alright. She did want Maya and Lucas to be happy, even if it was with each other, but how they could be so inconsiderate as to kiss in front of her. And every single time she saw them make eye contact or smile at each other, the only thing running through her mind was 'that should be me'. It should be her kissing Lucas, her holding his hand, her being the one on his white horse, not Maya. She was practically steaming mad, which Farkle had picked up on.

Placing his hand on her arm, he stroked it back and forth, whispering, "Riley, your hidden anger isn't doing a very good job of staying hidden. Maybe be a little more discreet? Remember, you don't need Lucas to be happy. And they still love you, okay?" Farkle then leaned towards her, and his lips brushed against her ear. He whispered, making chills go down Riley's spine, "I love you." Riley took deep breaths and attempted to calm herself down, telling herself over and over again, that Farkle was there for her, and always would be. She grabbed Farkle's hand and squeezed it tight. She looked over to his painting and noticed that he had painted a purple cat. It was definitely more detailed than hers had been, and its fur was beautifully drawn. It appeared to be sleeping, in none other than a bird's nest. Farkle had always been their bird, so if Riley was in Farkle's home, that could only mean that Riley had become Farkle's muse, and she too gave Farkle a quick kiss and whispered 'I love you'. Although Farkle could make Riley feel better, the overwhelming presence of the new Maya-Lucas couple was always there, pushing down on her, and there was only so much pressure she could take before she burst, but one could only hope that the day never came.

"It's Friday, Friday…" Maya began. The four of them, minus Zay who had opted out of their double date, were on their way to catch a movie. Lucas and Farkle, the gentlemen they were, paid for the girls' tickets and they went inside. Although the movie was engaging and the storyline was interesting, Riley could hardly pay attention. She was sitting next to Maya, and every time she wanted to turn around to talk to her, all she could see was a mop of blonde hair. Every single time, she was either talking to Lucas, sharing popcorn with him, or leaning her head on his shoulder. And it disgusted her.

Meanwhile, Maya was having the time of her life. Alright, the previous/future 2 year anniversary was the time of her life, but this was a different kind. This wasn't full of passion and heat, this was sweet and gave her a warm feeling all over. Unlike other couples, she and Lucas weren't bonding over some sappy chick flick. This was a sci-fi thriller, which kept them constantly at their edge of their seat, eyes fixated on the big screen and hands digging into the popcorn, usually ending up finding each other, and staying inside the bucket interlocked. During the slow parts, she would rest her head on his shoulder, the height difference being perfect so that she did not get a neck ache, and upright enough so she didn't have to watch the entire movie sideways. As for the action sequences, there were several times she almost knocked the popcorn bucket over, but Lucas had held a firm grip on both the bucket and her thigh. And as he did so, he could only fall deeper in love with her. The one who at first look was the opposite of sunshine, but once you got to know her, which he did, she was the only star he wanted in his sky.

Absolutely cringe-worthy. Riley could feel herself being mean to Maya, but just couldn't stop herself. Finally, she turned over to Farkle and said, "Come on, I saw an arcade outside, this movie's way too boring anyway." She took Farkle's hand and pulled him out, much to his dismay. She had extracted him from his comfortable seat at the climax of the movie, leaving Maya and Lucas there, literally almost falling out of their seats. However, he was happy he could finally spend some quality time with his girl, that wasn't at her house.

"Riley, what's going on? First of all, you were excited for the movie. Second of all, that was the best part. Third, what is this about? Fourth, that was the best part!" Farkle said. It wasn't like Riley to walk out of a movie, no matter how horrible it was. But with regards to her running out, he had his suspicions, but prayed that they were wrong.

"You wanna know what's up? What's up is that Maya and Lucas are being really sweet and cute together, but… but that should be me! I want to be happy for Maya, I really do, I am happy for her, but it's just… Lucas…" Riley trailed off, as tears began to stream down her face, her hands all wet and vision cloudy. Farkle sighed and moved closer to her on the bench, putting his arm around her. He said, "Look, you are a wonderful, beautiful person, Riley Matthews. And I'm really proud of you for being happy for her, but sometimes you gotta let go. Life moves on, and there are other people for you. Like… like me." Farkle stroked his hand down her cheek and turned her face towards him, their lips only being separated by the tears on Riley's face. Then, he took her hand and dragged her to the arcade, promising that he would win her a big bear.

As he played the games, his hands over hers, guiding her movement, Farkle was falling. Just a few days ago, he had been up on his Farkle Nation cliff, but now he was falling into the welcoming waves of Riley. The way her eyes shrunk and her mouth was pulled into a cheeky smile, the way her brown hair bounced on her shoulders every time she jumped in excitement. Farkle was amazed, and thought that maybe, just maybe, your first love was for life. Riley had been his, was his, still is his, and if he could choose, would be his for the rest of his life. He loved that.

After about half an hour, the movie had ended and Maya and Lucas walked out, still talking animatedly about each and every scene, occasionally arguing over the details and Easter Eggs that they spotted. She turned around to face him, holding both his hands and she said, "Lucas Friar. I never knew how good a date you were." Lucas laughed but stopped himself. Maya had just called him by his full name, something she had never, ever, ever done.

"Did you just call me by my name?" He asked, surprised.

"Of course, I li- I love you very much." And with that, she tiptoed up and kissed him lightly. She relaxed back on her heels and said, "Also, very good job on taking us slow, but…" She took a step closer to him, and purred, "Let's go a little faster." He smirked and Maya knew that she had made all the right moves. However, she realised something was amiss, or rather, someone. Looking around, she realised that Riley and Farkle were nowhere near them. Did they leave the theater together? She could barely recall, having been so caught up in Lucas' breakdown of the scenes. Just as Maya was about to call Riley, Lucas tapped her shoulder and pointed towards the nearby arcade. Inside, were Riley and Farkle, hopping around the games and laughing. Maya understood that Riley would want some alone time with Farkle, but without telling her? That wasn't like Riley.

She ran over to Riley, ignoring Lucas, who was asking her to slow down, and grabbed her shoulder, asking, "Riles, what's up? Why didn't you tell me you guys left?"

"Why didn't you tell me I wasn't your muse anymore?" Riley mumbled.

"Aw Honey, are you still hung up on that? Look, I'll paint you something just for you, for your birthday, that's coming up soon, gives me enough time. How bout that?" Maya asked. Riley nodded her head and smiled at Maya, but there was more to that. Maya knew that of all people, Riley wasn't one to hold a grudge about past mistakes. There was something wrong with her ray of sunshine, there was a shadow tainting her, something bothering her, but she had no idea what.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Got it! I will upload another chapter of Pull Me Close this week, before Sunday! I'll try my best, anyway. What do you think? Do fave, follow and/or review, thanks! :)**_


	4. good things last?

_**A/N: Like I said, here's the second chapter for this week!**_

* * *

 **good things last?**

Had it really been that long? 1 entire month. And it had been the best month of her life. Unfortunately, that day was one of those that she only got to see him after school, and so she waited with anticipation. First, she was going to jump on his back, and then he was going to piggy back her all the way to their house, where they would play games with Riley, Farkle, and Zay. After they went home, she and Lucas would be able to get a little time to themselves, and that would be the most exciting part. One month into their relationship, and Maya was loving it.

There he was, his back turned away from her, talking to Zay. She walked towards him on her tiptoes, attempting to be as silent as she could. One step, one more, like a predator stalking its prey.

But he already saw it coming. Zay had whispered it and hinted that Maya was coming. So he played along. He pulled the present out of his bag and just as he felt her coming, he turned around.

Dammit. How did he know? Instead of pouncing on his back, Maya had jumped right into his arms. With a soft object between them, their mouths were inches apart. He smirked and leaned forward to kiss Maya, but she shoved him back.

"Asshole! I wanted to scare you!" Maya said, laughing. Lucas chuckled and said, "What, you think I wouldn't notice if a lil thing like you were lurking behind me? Of course I knew! Also, Zay told me." Maya glared at Zay and he scrambled to his feet, getting ready to run. But Lucas lifted Maya's presents in front of her, stopping her possible attack on Zay. Maya looked at what she had gotten, a big teddy bear, and a new box of paint. What had she gotten him? Um, her love? And that made her feel bad. Why did he have to get her things? He knew she couldn't afford to buy him something expensive, so why would he make her feel guilty like that?

"You don't need to thank me, I-"

"How could you? Why would you want to make me feel guilty for you, that I didn't get anything for you! You know what, keep your presents, I'll go home and sulk at how poor I am and that I can't even get anything for my own boyfriend!" With that, Maya slammed the bear and box down and stomped out of school, much to the dismay of the rest of them.

* * *

What had he done wrong? He would've thought that Maya would love the bear and the paint, and that she would shower him with kisses and hugs and that would be an awesome anniversary. But no, she was angry? Angry that she had received presents? Who had ever heard of that? But he knew that if he didn't go and talk to her, their first monthversary could become their last.

He knocked on her window and ignored Maya's shout for him to go away. He stepped inside and was greeted by his beautiful, but angry, short stack.

"What are you doing here? I told you I don't want your presents? So stop pushing them on me!"

"Pushing? I'm not pushing anything on you, this is what boyfriends do, do things for their girlfriends!" Without even intending to, his bottled up anger was now dripping out, "And if you feel so guilty about getting a present, maybe I should never get one for you, ever again! How about that Maya?"

"Fine with me! Get out of my room!"

Wait, was this where it was going to end? Was he going to step out of her window now, and never look back, never again comfort his blonde beauty? After only a month, was he going to screw up the best relationship he ever had? Lucas took a step back, and saw Maya's face begin to soften, as if she was starting to regret what she had said.

"I'm sorry."

It had been blurted out, at exactly the same time, by both of them. Maya, shocked that Lucas apologised to her, asked, "Why are you apologising? I was the one being unreasonable."

"I'm still sorry, for everything I've ever done."

Within milliseconds, Lucas had closed the metre wide gap between them in one long stride, and his lips, his chest, his entire being, was right up at Maya's. He had pulled her up onto him, her legs around his waist, and their hands in each other's hair. She was grasping at his head as he moved his lips downwards, from her mouth, to her chin, to her neck. She purred his name into his ear, and he smirked at that, continuously pressing her body against his, and they knew that everything was going to be alright.

* * *

 _ **A/N: What do you think? It would be great if you could fave, follow and/or review, thanks! :)**_


	5. shallow thoughts

**shallow thoughts**

"This guy bothering you, Riley?"

"I'm not _bothering_ her, I'm talking to her, Minkus."

"I sense some tension, do you have a problem with me, _Gardner_?"

"Guys! Stop it! Farkle, Charlie was just asking me if I had an extra copy of the assignment my dad gave," Riley said.

"I'm sorry Riley, but it looked a lot like he was flirting with you. Well, if you didn't know Gardner, Riley and I are together. So back off!" Farkle retorted, spitting out Charlie's name like it was poison.

"If I recall correctly, you two didn't exactly get together, you just made out, and stayed annoyingly close to each other," Charlie said, smirking as he saw how annoyed Farkle was getting. As he began to flare up, Charlie looked over at Riley, whose beautiful brown hair fell perfectly on her shoulders, her expression, one of concern for Farkle. And he wanted that. He wanted her to care about him, and return the feelings he had. He had the hugest crush on her, and wanted to give her everything in the world, if he could only have her. And maybe one day, they would be together and wake up to the cries of their gorgeous baby.

"You know what? I'm gonna fight you for her, you pick the challenge Minkus," Charlie said. Farkle looked over at Riley, Maya, and Lucas and back to Charlie.

"You can't fight me for her! She's my girlfriend! But… if you want a challenge, Gardner, a challenge is what you'll get. Poetry slam! And, a quiz. Who knows Riley more? Whoever wins, well then Riley still has the ultimate choice," Farkle said. He had purposely picked those 2 challenges, as he had recently gotten hooked on poetry, and it was blatantly obvious that he knew Riley like the back of his hand. Riley tenderly placed her hand on his shoulder and said, "Farkle, are you sure? You know I love you, you don't have to do this, I can just-"

"No. I want to have you fair and square, and make sure this thief never comes near you, ever again."

After much discussion, they had decided that Maya and Lucas, a slightly more neutral party, would come up with the questions that Charlie and Farkle had to answer. After school that day, the 3 of them went over to Riley's room. She brought over some drinks and snacks and went over to Auggie's room while they prepared the quiz. It just happened that the next day was Riley's birthday, so the privacy allowed them to think of a good present to give her, one of which was Maya's special muse painting for Riley.

* * *

"Alright, so far we have 'What is Riley's favourite colour', 'When is Riley's birthday', and I swear if Farkle gets it wrong I'll be charged for murder, 'What is Riley's deepest fear'," Maya said, listing out all the questions that she and Lucas had come up with in the past 20 minutes, "Finally, what is her favourite food, and mine are definitely these biscuits." Lucas lifted himself onto Riley's bed, next to Maya. He picked up one biscuit and said, "Mmm, let me give you a bite."

Just as he brought it closer to her, he quickly put the biscuit in her mouth, causing her to glare at him. With the biscuit half out of his mouth, he said, "Come and get it, short stack." She chuckled and placed her lips over his, just as he sucked the rest of the biscuit into his throat and swallowed it in one gulp. Her lips were already on his and she didn't bother lifting them off. However, their timing couldn't have been worse, as Riley opened the door and gasped, causing them to break away and turn towards the door. From then on, Riley decided that the couple needed a little bit of supervision. Every time Maya or Lucas picked up a biscuit, they would just giggle, making Riley visibly cringe.

* * *

"This marks the start of the Riley challenge! Contestants, please take the stand!" Maya announced. Charlie and Farkle stepped forward from behind the bench outside their school, each with a smug look on their face, confident that they would ace the challenges. After a short round of rock paper scissors, it was determined that Farkle would begin the poetry slam.

' _Riley, oh sweet Riley_

 _The sunshine in my life_

 _For as long as my eyes_

 _Have been open, your presence_

 _Only makes me happy_

 _Only make you happy_

 _Only brings us together_

 _Happy, like you, my love'_

"Aww, that was really sweet, I wonder how Charlie could possibly top that! Mr Gardner?" Lucas commented, and gestured for Charlie to begin. Clearing his throat, Charlie began reciting his poem.

' _Riley, to others, plain_

 _But how can I begin to explain_

 _My love for you_

 _Thought through and through_

 _Is just that, nothing more_

 _You are without a flaw_

 _I would give you the world_

 _If it meant I had your love'_

"Sure, yours rhymed, but mine is abstract, true prose," Farkle said, looking over at Riley. Sadly, she was now smiling at Charlie and barely glanced over to Farkle. Now the pressure was on him to win Riley over, or he might lose her. However, once the quiz started, it was as if he was constantly lagging. The question entered his ear, and his hand moved to their paper buzzer, but Charlie's hand was always there first. Finally, his turn came at just the question he knew best. 'When is Riley's birthday'. And this was a question he had known the answer to for as long as he remembered.

"Tomorrow… Oh shi-"

Everyone froze as Charlie took the chance to say the correct answer, which was that day. Lucas, Riley, and Maya looked at over at Farkle, whose jaw was still wide open. How could he have gotten it wrong? First, he could barely move fast enough to the buzzer, then the one time he did, he got the question wrong. To Farkle, his nerves had actually broke him. The whole of yesterday, his brain reminded him that Riley's birthday was the next day, and somehow the changing of days had not registered. But for him to make that mistake, if Riley chose to leave him, the only one he could blame was himself.

At the end of the competition, Lucas said, "Well, this has been a riveting challenge. Riley, I can't fathom you favouring some friends over others." And he had purposely chosen those words, as an even more obvious hint as to who she should choose. After all, how could she not choose Farkle? Sure, his poem wasn't as good, and his reaction time was a little slower than Charlie's, but she knew he only had the best intentions for her.

"I choose… Charlie!" Riley exclaimed. And no jaws had ever dropped lower than the ones surrounding that bench. However, Maya was the first to step forward.

"Riles, honey, how could you just drop Farkle? He's our bird, the one we need to protect. You just dropped him," she said, gesturing over to Farkle, whose eyes were beginning to get very red.

"Maya, this was my decision. I can do whatever I want," Riley retorted.

"Not when this is Farkle's life. Not when what you choose breaks a friend's heart. Aren't you all about friendship, huh? Farkle's life isn't a game."

"And what about mine. You and Lucas coupled up, and left me alone. Farkle gravitated towards me and I took it. But you… I never expected you to… You forgot about me, Maya."

"Forgot about you? Oh honey, we never forgot about you, we tried to include you in everything we did, but…" And as Maya looked up and deep into Riley's expression. It wasn't sadness or disappointment she saw in her honey, it was just anger. Maya knew that if Riley wasn't going to be the sweet girl she knew she was, Maya definitely wasn't going to pretend to be one. She continued, "...I think you're just jealous. So you know what? Forget about what I said about you being my future muse. I'm bringing my painting home. I'm done."

"Maya!" Lucas shouted, running forward to make sure that she didn't hurt Riley and in their own words, to 'contain her'.

"No, if she wants to be like this, and be this bully, then let her. I'm done too. Thank you Maya, so much, for the worst birthday ever." And with that, Riley walked out of the school compound, Charlie trailing behind her and to Maya, he looked like nothing more than a dog. Ready to carry out her every bidding. That's what he was. A dog, trailing its bitch.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Uh oh! What's going to happen to those 2? What do you think? It would be great if you fave, follow and/or review, thanks! :)**_


	6. she's gone

_**A/N: Warning, there's verbal abuse in this chapter so if you're triggered by that, proceed with caution.**_

* * *

 **she's gone**

What have I done? The second Maya had mentally called Riley a bitch, regret filled her entire being. But she could not bear to call out to her, that was Riley's job. To fix everything. But what could she do when Riley was the one who was breaking everything apart, tearing their group down? Farkle was in the corner quietly sobbing with Lucas and Zay comforting him. Maya was standing there, watching as her best friend in the whole world walked away with her new boyfriend.

Things only went downhill from there. The next day, as she began taking out books from her locker, Riley no longer there to remind her which ones, a strong hand pushed her against the locker. She tried to shout for Lucas, but the attacker whispered right into her ear, "Try shouting for him, and he'll never see you again. Whole anyway." Maya attempted to struggle out of his grasp - at least, she thought it was a he - but he had two hands against her shoulder blades from behind, her cheek pressed against the cold metallic locker. At the corner of her eyes, all she could see were the other students walking away from her, apparently being shooed away by her attacker. She was stuck there, all alone. And she didn't even know what the attacker was going to do to her.

"Listen, you little bitch. I don't know if you know this, but you are a fake. Everything you do is a freakin act. You don't deserve Lucas, any part of him. You know, if I had someone who looked as good as that, I wouldn't hesitate to get my hands into their pants. And what are you doing? Nothing. What a waste. He doesn't deserve a scumbag like you to tease him and-" Maya refused to listen to the rest. Whoever this was, this guy who was saying all this, he didn't know what he was talking about. All Maya could do was tell herself over and over again, that he was only speaking lies. She tried to move her legs but he had those pinned against the lockers as well. She began shaking her head, trying to dig the thoughts of Lucas not wanting her out of her brain. But the attacker only pulled her ear back and whispered, "You're just a scumbag clutter bucket. Who Lucas doesn't need. And doesn't deserve. Contrary to your stupid name, you don't have an inch of heart. Scurry off now." With that, her attacker released his grip from her back. Maya immediately bent down to pick up her books and the attacker slammed the locker behind her. Running off to class, Maya didn't dare to turn back, more afraid of who she might see than what he would do, and she wiped away her tears.

Was she hurt by the bully? Definitely. Did she want revenge? Oh, of course. Was she going to confide in Riley? Even she couldn't tell. Normally, Riley would be the first one Maya would speak to after something difficult happened. But not after the previous day. Not after Riley had been so mean to Farkle. It was as if, in Maya's mind, Riley had moved down a notch on the priority list. And she hated it. She wanted to blurt everything out to her, say everything she wanted to say, that she was sorry, that she missed her, that she was being bullied. But the mute button had been pressed, and it was broken indefinitely. The entire day, Maya could hardly look at Riley without receiving a glare, or feeling like crying. She would've told Lucas, but she didn't want him to turn into the Texan version of himself and fight back, that would only make things worse. Instead, she kept a safe distance from everyone. But Lucas saw through it.

"Hey Fark, do you notice anything.. wrong with Maya? She hasn't made fun of me all day, she's barely even looking at Riley, and every time I walk up to her, she… it looks like she's about to flinch," Lucas said, as he went up to Farkle one day after school, again failing at trying to find Maya. He shrugged his shoulders and said, "Maybe it's just a bad day. She'll be back to normal tomorrow, don't worry about it." No matter how hard Lucas wished it to be true, he knew that nothing was as simple as that.

Unbeknownst to any of them, the two not-really best friends were facing the exact same thing. As Riley walked into the toilet cubicle, an unknown figure grabbed the back of her head and pushed it through the toilet seat, such that her face was just above the toilet water.

"Another. Little. Actress," the person spoke, a deep voice echoing out. Riley began to shake, causing the person to cackle, and Riley could just picture it in her mind. A giant with a menacing face throwing back his head in laughter, thunder and lightning flashing in the distance. The person continued, "Just like your berry best fwen, aww. All you do is act like a ball of sunshine, I know you got some darkness in there. But I know you. You're brainless, and more than that, you're a slut. With wittle Farkle, then all of a sudden it's Charlie. Come on, which ray of sunshine would do that? You're a shadow, that's what you are." As the person said this, he whispered right into her ear, spitting out every word. Riley shut her eyes trying to keep those poisonous words out of her.

As she prepared herself for the next wave of verbal abuse, the person released his sharp grip and spun her around such that her back was against the wall of the cubicle. The next thing she knew, warm lips were pressed against her own. This complete stranger, who was not one second ago bullying her, now had his hands around her waist, her hands against his shoulders. She was prepared to push him away but strangely enough, only one part of her seemed to be working, and not in the way she expected. This boy, whoever he was, certainly knew what he was doing. He knew exactly what to do and for some reason, so did Riley. Her fingers laced through his hair, and it was smooth. A warm feeling spread all around her and regrettably, she liked what was happening. It was new. Finally, he gently let her off and took a step back.

Riley had hardly seen him around, just another face in the crowd of her school. He hardly shared any classes with her, but he somehow knew so much about her. A creep, for sure. Riley tried to squeeze out of the door but the boy's arm shot out, blocking her only way out. Okay, now she was scared. First a kiss, then a denied escape, a thousand and one possible scenarios went through her mind and she hoped none of them would be the case.

"Listen, Riley. You don't know me, but you've seen my face and I can't let you go out there and tell everyone what I said to me. Yes, you're a slut and all that shit. But that's because you haven't met me. I mean, don't you want to be accepted and not called weird and stuff? Don't you want to fit in with every other kid here? I can show that to you. You can be normal, completely normal. Just take my hand. You chose Charlie because he could give you more than Farkle, now I can give you more than the both of them could ever do," he said. He took a step forward and whispered into her ear, his voice lowered and grainy, "I know you enjoyed our moment. We can have so many more."

Taking both of her hands into his, he led her out of the cubicle, to the mirror of the toilet. Tilting her chin upwards, both of them looked at each other's reflection and he said, "Look at us. We would make the best team. Come on Riley, I know that all you've ever wanted, is to be normal. Not stared at when you do your little dances. Not judged for your awkward smiles. I'll be your guidance counsellor, but with a lot more fun, just the two of us. For once, do something with your life." Riley turned around to look at this boy, who was offering her a chance to be accepted. She knew that Farkle, Lucas, Maya, and Zay would definitely be upset with her, but everything that they had done recently… Lucas and Maya… Farkle barely showing any sign of fighting for her the other day… and Zay barely meant anything to her. When she thought about it, none of them were worth keeping. She nodded her head, more vigorously than she had intended. Right before the boy walked out, he looked back at Riley and said, "By the way, my name's Brian." With a wink, Brian left Riley alone in the toilet, yearning for him.

The next day, Maya walked over to her locker, still deep in thought about what the bully had said. No matter how many times she reassured herself, there was a nagging voice in the back of her head telling her that she was worthless. The urge to tell someone was too huge, but she refused to tell any adult, and her friends would only tell Lucas who would take the most physical approach to Maya's problem. As she closed her locker, she noticed that Riley was right next to her, looking straight into her locker for her books. Maya opened her mouth to utter a 'hi' but before she could, a boy came from behind Riley and put his arm around her. A boy who wasn't Charlie. What was going on? The boy began talking to her, making her giggle and Maya recognised the haunting voice. That was the same guy who was bullying her yesterday. She closed her locker and stepped back, mouth agape. Lucas and Farkle had just walked in and asked, "Maya, are you alright?"

"Riley, that guy, he bullied me yesterday. He… he said that I don't deserve Lucas," Maya said, glancing over to Lucas who was now glaring at the boy and cracking his knuckles. The next thing Maya knew, she was crying - again, dammit - as words she never thought could come out of Riley's mouth, did.

"Maybe you don't."

She then whipped her head around and walked into a classroom with the boy. Lucas had run forward to comfort Maya in an embrace. She nestled her head into his chest and he let her tears soak into his shirt. Every single thought of her worthlessness resurfaced all at once, but there was one thing that she did know for sure. That wasn't Riley.

* * *

 _ **A/N: What do you think? It would be great if you fave, follow and/or review, thanks! :)**_


	7. knight and day

**knight and day**

That wasn't Riley. That wasn't Riley. She told herself over and over and over again. But no matter how much she said it, the words still stung her like an open wound. Riley had agreed, Maya didn't deserve Lucas. And all she could do was crumple in his arms, maybe it was true. _No_ Maybe Lucas deserved someone better _No_ Maybe Maya was useless _No no no nononono_ It was a never ending battle and the only constant was the tears streaming down her face as Farkle and Zay moved in to hug her.

They sat her down by the vending machine and Lucas took her hands, squeezing them and allowing her to feel the warmth that he had.

"First things first, who is that guy?" Zay asked.

"Whoever he is, I can't wait to get my hands on him…" Lucas said, his voice lowering, and Maya could sense the vengeance in his tone. She looked up at him, the last of the tears falling onto their hands. She said, "No, Lucas, you can't. This is why I didn't tell any of you, I don't want you to fight for me. You'll get kicked out."

"But Maya, that guy has to pay for what he did to you," Farkle added. Maya shook her head and explained, "Yesterday, he cornered me by my locker and said that everything I do is an act, that I don't deserve Lucas and that he doesn't deserve me and if…" Maya had to stop herself to prevent another tidal wave of emotions from overwhelming her. Lucas helped her to stand and put his arm around her and they walked to class, Zay and Farkle trailing behind. Farkle knew that the Riley they had seen was not her, but some part of him couldn't help but blame himself for not fighting for her the other day.

* * *

"Brian…" Riley whispered into his ear. They had met in the toilet yet again and were kissing up a storm. What they were doing, what she was doing, it was the forbidden apple of high school and college, and here she was, taking a huge bite out of it. It tasted so good that she couldn't stop. Deep inside, she knew that doing all this was something confined to the deepest darkest corners of Rileytown. But after Maya and Lucas had gotten together, there had been an aching hunger for something like that. Riley needed something and Brian was there to feed her, feed all her needs. She knew that when they left for class, she would see Maya and Lucas again and feel broken and dead inside, but right then, Brian was all she ever needed.

Riley had her legs around Brian and was propped up such that she was higher than him. As his hands moved around her thighs and squeezed them, his lips moved down to her neck and she let out a giggle and felt his mouth morph into a smirk. If this was what independence and growing up felt like, Riley wanted to step into a time machine. She put her arms around her neck and rested her head on his shoulder. Everything he had said to her the previous day was nothing but the truth. He could give her everything, but Riley wanted more. She wanted more heat, more passion, more of everything. He had shown her a new side of herself, the less weird side, the dark side. See Maya? I do have one, she thought. It was as dark as the darkest night, with no lights whatsoever, and she revelled in it.

As Brian let her down gently, he nudged her shoulders and backed her up against one of the walls of the toilet. He held her arms back and whispered, "Now, tell me about your little friends, tell me about Farkle. What's he all about?" Riley hesitated and he pushed, "Come on, you know you can tell me anything." Riley began to talk about how Farkle used to be, with his turtlenecks and such, but later wondered why Brian wanted to know about those 'friends' Riley had. She asked him about it and he replied, "Well, I got Maya, now let's get him too. Together."

Riley realised what he meant and broke away from his grasp. She shook her head, saying, "No way, they may not be much of friends anymore but… I won't let you abuse them. I'll warn him." Brian chuckled and walked to Riley, who was now backing into yet another wall. All of a sudden, Brian lifted his arms and put them to either side of Riley's head. He snarled and said, "You tell him and I'll leave you. I suppose you don't want to be normal anymore anyway. How useless can you get?" Riley began thinking about going back to her weird ways and the rest of the grade continuously judging her for her choice to go back to her weirdness. And it was all too much. She began to tear up and almost immediately, Brian turned from the lion to the lamb. He took her into his arms and stroked her cheek, saying, "Don't cry babe. Just stay with me, and follow my lead, you'll be fine. Never… never do that again. I love you." Riley's heart skipped a beat at those 3 words. She had never heard it from Lucas, and here it was coming out of Brian's mouth. Sure, he said all those mean things to her but if he could say that to her, and show more of it than Farkle did, then it must be real. It must be.

But she refused to let Farkle fall victim to him. He hadn't been the best boyfriend, but Riley knew what would happen if Brian got to Farkle. So one day, she escaped from him, over to where they used to hang out. Without hesitation, she blurted out, "Listen, Farkle. Brian's going to get to you too. You need to make sure he doesn't. Got to go." As she turned around, a familiar hand grabbed her.

"Honey, what's going on? You need to talk to us. First, you broke Farkle's heart. Then Charlie's. Now you're with the jerk who bullied me, and you're coming to warn us? Tell us, please, what's going on. This isn't you," Maya said. All Riley could get out was 'It's not supposed to be', before she ran off, stealing a single glance back to see her friends standing there, utterly confused.

"That's it. We're getting rid of that Brian guy," Lucas said.

"Lucas!" Maya exclaimed, glaring at him.

"I'm sorry, Maya, but I'm gonna have to agree with Lucas. Although we shouldn't resort to violence, this guy is obviously manipulating Riley and a bully. He needs to be stopped," Farkle commented. Maya sighed and bit her lip. She knew that this guy had to go, for sure, but she didn't want Lucas to leave with him. But if he was using manipulation to get to all of them, they had to fight fire with fire.

And so the next morning, as Brian was walking to Riley's locker, he was confronted by the only boy there who was as strong as a horse.

"So, Brian, you're Riley's boyfriend huh?" Lucas asked. Although he was the same height as Brian, he clearly dominated him in terms of strength and potential ferocity. Brian crossed his arms and smirked, "Yeah, and what are you, Mr Texas, gonna do about it? Fight with me, then leave the school, never to see your friends again! That's right, I know all about your little secret. What you gon-" Before he could continue, Lucas had him cornered up against a wall. He had had enough of this, no matter what anyone said, he was going to end it, right there.

"Listen, you little bastard. If you've heard about me, then you should be pissing your pants, because when I'm done with you, you won't dare to even look at any one of my friends ever again. You've abused my friends, and I won't have it. You used their weaknesses. You used Maya, you used Riley, you wanted to use Farkle, but you can never get to me. Because I've already got you," Lucas said, baring his teeth and looking at Brian like he was his prey, and Lucas was the predator, ready to tear him into pieces with his bare teeth.

Riley and Maya were surprised at Lucas' actions, but even Riley knew that what Lucas was saying was the truth. She knew that Lucas was forcibly breaking her up with Brian, but the good side of her told her this was the right thing to do. And she was getting tired of the dark. Meanwhile, Maya let out an 'oohh', this side of Lucas definitely turned her on.

"There he is! Mr Matthews, that's Brian!" A voice rang out. It was Farkle, and standing next to him was Cory, looking very stern.

"Mr Friar. Please release him, he's coming with me to have a nice long chat," Cory said. Lucas chuckled and released Brian, keeping a trained eye on him to ensure that he didn't say or do anything else. He then trudged with Cory to the Principal's office.

As soon as he was out of their sight, they ran to Riley, who was quietly crying into her hands. Farkle said, "It's okay, Riley. He can't hurt you anymore. Now, do you mind explaining to us what's up with you?"

The dreaded moment had arrived. Riley had hoped that her feelings would stay bottled up after her birthday, but there was no choice now was there? She said, "You know how I thought that you all forgot about me? Well Maya and Lucas, you guys looked so good together and you're right, okay? I was jealous. I wanted something like what you had, to cuddle with me, to be perfect with me. And Farkle, I thought that… because you didn't win the competition, that you didn't want to fight for me and you didn't want me. And then Charlie was cool and all, but Brian, he told me he could help to be normal and that's all I've ever wanted, so I just went with it. But now… I guess you guys hate me, I'll just… just leave."

Instead of walking away from them, Riley was pulled into the tightest hug she had ever received. Even Zay was there. Maya said, "We love you, alright? There's no need to be jealous, at all. And maybe you're right, I was kinda caught up with Lucas that maybe I slacked when it came to our friendship. But never again. You said this was going to be your world, and it will be, but not without me. Riley and Maya's world, how about that honey?"

"And Riley, maybe I didn't get as physical as that jerk, but I love you a lot more than he ever could. The competition was stupid, honestly, it was just nerves. How about this, later we'll go on a movie date, just the 2 of us. I'll buy you your favourite food and everything!" Farkle said. Riley nodded and hugged all of them back.

"We may not be together, but just remember that I'll be all of your knights in shining armour any day. We love you Riley, alright? Please please remember that," Lucas added.

"Sugar, you could never be any cuter. Stay this way," Zay said.

In that moment, they knew that without the other, without Farkle, or Lucas, or Zay, or Maya, or Riley, their worlds would be out of sync and broken. They lit up each other's nights and filled up each other's days. Without any one of them, there would be no world at all, no world worth living.

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 _ **A/N: What do you think? If you haven't already, do check out the one-shot I posted yesterday called flared up. It would be great if you fave, follow and/or review, thanks! :)**_


	8. never forget

_**A/N: Well... Texas is certainly killing me. Anyway, this is the last chapter of Pull Me Close, more A/N at the bottom! But for now, enjoy!**_

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 **never forget**

Second time. Not as surprising as the first, but definitely just as fun. 2 years, yet again. It was weird to live it the second time, but Maya still loved it. What was she talking about? Her and Lucas' 2 year anniversary of course. She could never forget her little time travel incident 2 years earlier, and did the exact same thing, waking up and greeting him at his window, making fun of his bunny slippers. After their entire make out session, Maya lying next to Lucas and looking into his eyes, she began to think.

She thought back to everything that had happened in their 2 years. To some, short, but to her, she wouldn't trade the time for anything in the world. She and her friends had grown all too much in that time. Riley and Farkle were now happily dating, and Riley was sure that she didn't need a toxic person like Brian in her life ever again. That was a painful reminder that all of them carried with them to that day. She thought, _in the end, we have to keep our friends close as we can_. Her relationship had done nothing but press the button to begin the rollercoaster. The one of her life. It had filled her life with joys and sorrows, with smooth sailings and conflicts, and in the end she knew that she should constantly remind her friends of many things, one of which was to-

Lucas grabbed her hand, snapping her out of her thoughts. She smiled at him and looked into his gorgeous green eyes.

"Pull me close," she said. Those 3 words completed her thoughts, and made her feel like everything was right.

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 _ **A/N: Thank you so much to everyone for following and reviewing and staying with this story. I'm probably not going to write a third one and I'm out of inspiration right now. But if any of you have any prompts, do send them over to simplymarvelling on tumblr (that's me). As always, fave and review, thanks! :)**_


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